My mother was a deep thinker and a woman of few words. She enjoyed reading, laughing with friends and taking long walks down country roads. When I was little, I'd walk with her and hopefully, if she had a nickel, we'd buy a bag of apples to keep us company on the way back home. Every time we’d make the trek, she would pull me past heaping carts of big shiny apples only to walk an additional quarter mile to spend a perfectly good nickel on a bag of dusty “speckled” apples from an old man sitting on the side of the road - no cart, no pretty painted signs, just a few apples that looked like they’d fallen from a tree.
“Why do we always have to buy these apples?” I whined. “Those apples are prettier!” I said, pointing back the other way. My mother would just smile, reach into the bag, hand me one from the bottom and say, “Yes, but this one will taste betta by and by.” What we do to support the neighbor down the road is the greatest investment we can make in our communities. Yes, it takes work, and it also takes time but keep going. The election taught us that. If you are feeling tired, it's okay to rest. The good news is you have friends on the path (and at the table) waiting for you. At CTVA, we encourage everyone to go deeper and look further. The nickel you spend, or the vote you recently cast, affects many. But nothing helps a community thrive better than the concerted effort of a committed few. When we roll up our sleeves and advocate for each other, we are powerful beyond measure. We hope you know how important you are, and how the choices you make matter. And you matter to us. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In Spring 2020, we watched a few hundred determined souls move boldly through the streets of Richmond to stand up for the things that matter. They were at the forefront of a movement that forever changed our world. Join us on November 19th for our 3rd Tuesday Gathering, as we reflect on that moment, the movement, and where we go next in the conversation on equity and justice. Because it matters. PS - My mother did not get the right to vote until 1965. What would she have said to me on Election Day evening? I’m not sure, but I’m certain of what she would have said Wednesday morning. “Get to work!” Danita CTVA Executive Director Comments are closed.
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February 2025
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Danita Rountree Green
Danita Rountree Green, M.A.,TLSC, is an author and transformational storyteller. As Co-founder and Executive Director of Coming Together Virginia, Green facilitates difficult conversations on race and generational trauma nationally. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today. https://danitarountreegreen.com/
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